“I’ve never been in such good shape before,” said Gasparyan (11-1-4, five knockouts), who will take on Jermell Charlo (8-0, four KOs) in a six-round affair tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston. “I can’t wait until I get there, do my thing and come back with a ‘W.’”
“I’m looking at this like a stepping stone for me, so if I win this fight a lot of opportunities are going to come forward.”
For Gasparyan, whose fights have largely been in gymnasiums and hotel ballrooms, it’s likely that a strong showing on the undercard of the HBO Boxing After Dark show presented by Golden Boy Promotions at the 19,000-seat venue will raise his profile considerably.
The main event features Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz taking on former 140-pound world titleholder Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi of Brooklyn, NY, while the co-featured bout will be International Boxing Federation Junior Lightweight World Champion Malcolm Klassen against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.
With a spotlight on hometown talent, the card features six Houston-based fighters, including Charlo, who has fought at Toyota Center twice previously.
The 19-year-old Charlo, a former amateur star, most recently beat Frederico Flores, Jr. via technical knockout 42 seconds into the eighth round in Tucson on June 26.
“It’s a good fight. ...The guy’s no bum and boxing’s a bitch of a business — anything can happen — you have to be on your guard and you can never take anyone lightly, whatsoever,” said Fortune Gym proprietor and former heavyweight contender Justin Fortune, a longtime friend and colleague of Gasparyan, who began to formally train him in April and will corner him tonight. “But it’s a good opportunity for [Gasparyan] to shine for Golden Boy and maybe he can have some sort of future with them.”
